'Overwatch' reveals one of its playable characters is on the autism spectrum

In a response to a fan's letter, Overwatch game director Jeff Kaplan confirmed that the playable character Symmetra is on the autism spectrum.

An Overwatch fan named Samuel shared a letter he received from Kaplan on Tumblr, in which Kaplan replied to the fan's questions about Symmetra and confirmed that she is autistic.

"Symmetra is autistic," Kaplan wrote. "She is one of our most beloved heroes and we think she does a great job of representing just how awesome someone with autism can be."

The letter below started circulating on Tumblr Wednesday.

The comic Kaplan references in his letter is called A Better World, and it's all about Symmetra. It's available to read online.

In one panel, Symmetra is thinking to herself and notes how people ask where she fits on the spectrum, which seems to have prompted Samuel's question about the character.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Redditor WizardTyrone pointed out some other signs from the comic that hint at Symmetra's autism.

She walks away from a conversation while somebody's speaking to her to correct a misaligned painting nobody else noticed, she becomes distressed among the crowd of people saying she's out of her element and doesn't understand them. And then finally her little speech where she uses her unique abilities and says that being asked about herself, where she "fits" and what makes her different used to bother her, but not anymore. It's a really badass scene where she's showing how much she's mastered her unique skills and takes pride in what makes her so exceptional.

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Kaplan recently discussed the role of diversity in Overwatch and the development team's goal of inclusivity and open-mindedness at the 2017 D.I.C.E. Summit.

"We wanted there to be heroes that felt approachable to each person," Kaplan said at the conference. "We all like different things, we're all attracted to different things — that's one of the beautiful things about humanity and making a game on planet Earth: how awesome the differences are."

As a part of the team's goal of making the game feel welcoming, Overwatch revealed in December 2016 in a digital comic called Reflections that the game's cover star Tracer is in a same-sex relationship.